Variable time delay apparatuses for controlling the start of a vehicle are well known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Re. No. 32,474, reissued Aug. 11, 1987. As stated in that patent, in the sport of automotive racing, the race is begun by a starting system consisting of a series of lights of various numbers, commonly called "Christmas tree" lights. Typically, there are one to five warning lights of amber color, one green colored light to indicate the start of the race, and one red light to indicate a foul start. Vehicles are lined in a row, and when the green light appears, the vehicles start the race. To attempt to obtain the best start, vehicles are placed in low gear with the reverse gear, simultaneously applied thereto, thereby "jamming" the transmission. The engine is run at high speed and when the reverse gear is removed by, for example, the release of a solenoid, the engine power is then instantly transmitted to the wheels through the low gear. This results in extreme quick acceleration of the race vehicle.
In automotive racing, the vehicle should ideally leave the starting line at exactly the time when the green light turns on. To accomplish this, however, the driver must anticipate the green light and release the solenoid before the green light comes on. This is because the driver has a reaction time and the car also has its reaction time. By the use of a delay device, the driver can preset a delay period, timed to commence with the start of any of the lights on the "Christmas tree". The driver would start the delay device, and then after the period of preset delay the delay device would release the solenoid which starts the vehicle. This would overcome the problem of the driver hesitating or anticipating the turning on of the green light.
It is also known in the prior art to use a cross-over delay device in handicap racing. In handicap racing, due to the difference in performance of the vehicles, one vehicle, the faster vehicle, is started after a handicap period, after the start of the slower vehicle. Thus, in handicap racing, the slower vehicle starts, followed by a handicap time period, which then starts the Christmas tree lights of the faster car. A cross-over delay box is simply two delay boxes attached in series. The faster vehicle has a first component which is simply the delay component described heretofore. A second component is the ability for the driver to set the handicap time period. This is the amount of time that the faster car is "penalized". The driver of the faster car would start the cross-over delay box upon the start of the Christmas tree light associated with the "slower" vehicle. That way, once the handicap period times out, it would activate the delay period. Thereafter, when both the handicap period and the delay period have timed out, the faster vehicle would then start. In this way, the driver would activate the cross-over delay box at the same time as the beginning of the Christmas tree lights of the opponent's lane thereby avoiding the distraction when the opponent's car has left the lane.
However, notwithstanding the use of a cross-over delay box, the driver of the faster vehicle that activates the cross-over delay box activates it based upon a glancing view of the Christmas tree lights of the opponent's lane. This has the potential for error which must be accounted for.
Finally, it is well know in the prior art that drivers of racing vehicles can accidentally activate the switch that controls a delay box. When the switch is accidentally activated, the transbrake is turned on and stays on until the delay box times out. If a vehicle is under power and is rolling down the track, and if the driver accidentally activates the delay box, the transbrake is activated, which can cause the transmission to explode or to lock up the rear wheels.
To overcome this condition, manufacturers of electronic racing aid devices, provide either a separate switch to disable the delay box, or a lock-out timing device, under which the delay box cannot be activated until the time period on the lock-out timing device has timed out. In either case, however, the driver must activate a switch to either disable the delay box or to de-activate the lock-out period.